You are here:

Inside This Issue

ARTICLE | April 21, 2014

Earlier issues of Cadmus Journal have explored new ideas and strategies for addressing the multiple challenges confronting global society today in the fields of economics, ecology, governance, security, society and culture.

Beginning last year the focus of the World Academy of Art & Science shifted from examination of individual sectors to a search for comprehensive, integrated solutions, which represent initial efforts to frame a New Paradigm for human development. This has been the subject matter of recent conferences at Trieste, the UN in Geneva, Library of Alexandria, Washington DC and Ottawa in 2013. This shift has continued in 2014 with a very successful conference on “Transition to a New Society” in Podgorica held in association with the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences & Arts and participation in a meeting organized by Club of Rome at Castell de Castellet near Barcelona in March 2014.

The April 2011 issue of Cadmus led with a “Call for United Action” by Heitor Gurgulino de Souza. In the spirit of that call, on April 30th this year WAAS and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center are convening a meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan to explore the scope for collaboration between leading organizations on formulation of a new paradigm. The meeting will involve leading organizations including the Club of Madrid, Club of Rome, Future World Foundation, Green Cross International, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Library of Alexandria, Partnership for Change, World Future Council, and the recently established World University Consortium.

This initiative is based on the following premises:

The contemporary world is global, complex, uncertain and changing rapidly.

The present economic, social and political paradigm is destroying natural, human and social capital at an accelerating pace.

The problems generated by this destruction require urgent solution.

All of these problems are complex, interconnected and cannot be effectively addressed in a piecemeal, sectoral fashion.

They cannot be solved within the existing paradigm.

One of the fundamental issues concerns rebuilding macro-economics.

The world witnessed a number of sudden, dramatic, game-changing paradigm changes in the 20th century.

Today a new human-centred and sustainable economic, social and governance paradigm is demanded.

It must be global in perspective, adaptable to constantly changing conditions, and capable of responding to inherent uncertainties.

A new paradigm is achievable while preserving the valuable components of the existing paradigms.

This issue of Cadmus includes a number of articles exploring different dimensions of these issues. We hope readers enjoy it and invite you to contribute to the on-going effort to frame new foundations for human development.